System, in particular a manufacturing system

ABSTRACT

A system, in particular a manufacturing system, the system including machines, especially stationary and mobile machines, and at least one vehicle and a control, the vehicle having at least one sensor for ascertaining the relative position of a person, in particular a sensor for ascertaining the distance between the vehicle and the person, and for ascertaining the angle between the driving direction of the vehicle and the connecting line between the person and the vehicle, the vehicle having a position acquisition means for sensing the position of the vehicle, in particular a GPS system or a triangulation system for ascertaining the position of the vehicle, the control including a means for ascertaining the safety zone around the person and the machines situated therein, a data transmission channel being provided between the control and the machines.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/761,809, which is the national stage of PCT/EP2014/000044, having an international filing date of Jan. 10, 2014, and claims priority to Application No. 1020130008514, filed in the Federal Republic of Germany on Jan. 21, 2013, each of which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system, especially a manufacturing system.

It is common knowledge that a system, in particular a manufacturing system, includes machinery that poses a danger to people. For this reason these machines are provided in cages, i.e., gitter boxes or similar devices.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the present invention is based on the objective of further refining a system without safety cages for machines, such as robots or the like.

Features of the system include that the system, in particular the manufacturing system, includes machines, especially stationary or mobile machines, and at least one vehicle and a control,

the vehicle including at least one sensor for ascertaining the relative position of a person, in particular a sensor for ascertaining the distance between the vehicle and the person and for ascertaining the angle between the driving direction of the vehicle and the connecting line between the person and the vehicle, the vehicle having a position acquisition means for sensing the position of the vehicle, especially a GPS system or a triangulation system for ascertaining the position of the vehicle, the control including means for ascertaining the safety zone around the person and the machines located therein, a data transmission channel being provided between the control and the machines.

This has the advantage that no cage barriers or gitter boxes are required and the machines are directly accessible from as many sides as possible, so that more effective logistical methods are able to be used. In addition, the safety only in the safety zone around the person is achieved by putting only the particular machines that are located in this area into the safety-directed state. As soon as the person has moved on, the imaginary safety zone moves along as well and thereby allows an immediate release of the machines that leave the safety zone.

In one advantageous development, the vehicle is guided on rails, the rail in particular extending above the path provided for persons, or the vehicle is maneuverable in a planar manner. This has the advantage that the most uninterrupted and simple tracking of the person is able to be implemented by the vehicle.

In one advantageous development, the vehicle has a loudspeaker and a multitude of microphones, especially a microphone array and/or an acoustic camera, the vehicle in particular including a means for ascertaining a control signal for the loudspeaker, so that noise is suppressed at the position of the person, in particular at the position of the person's ears. This has the advantage of not only increasing the safety, but also of enabling a noise suppression for the person.

In one advantageous development, the vehicle is equipped with a daylight camera, an infrared camera, a microphone, and/or a multitude of microphones, in particular a camera or microphone array; in addition, an evaluation unit for the sensor signals for ascertaining the position of a person is situated on the vehicle. This is advantageous insofar as the person is able to be detected in a simple manner, so that a rapid determination can be made.

Features of the method for operating a system include that the system includes machines, especially stationary or mobile machines, and at least one vehicle and a control, the position of a person being determined from the direction of the vehicle, and the particular machines that are located within a safety zone around the person are put into a safety-directed state.

This has the advantage of increased safety without requiring cages or gitter boxes or enclosures.

In one advantageous development, the speed of a machine axle is reduced in the machine which is put into the safety-directed state, the machine axle in particular being the axle of a drive wheel, especially a traction drive wheel, of the machine. This has the advantage that the speed is able to be lowered to such an extent that the danger to the person is reduced.

In one advantageous development, the speed of the machine axles is reduced further if the person is detected by a sensor of the particular machine. This has the advantage of further increasing the safety. The safety in a traction drive, in particular, is increased in such a way that driving into the person, and thus a collision with said person, is able to be prevented.

In one advantageous development, the speed, especially the traction speed, of a non-stationary machine is reduced in such a way that the braking distance is shorter than the distance to the person. This is advantageous insofar as a safe stop may be implemented in a timely manner.

In one advantageous development, the vehicle is actuated in such a way that the distance to the person is kept essentially constant or that the distance is at least regulated to a minimum distance value. This has the advantage that the vehicle follows the person and a position of the person is therefore able to be detected with the fewest errors possible.

In one advantageous development, the vehicle has a multitude of microphones, so that the position of noise sources is ascertained and an actuation signal for a loudspeaker of the vehicle is generated therefrom, in such a way that the noise that is generated by noise sources and reaches the ears of the person is reduced, so that a noise suppression is induced by the vehicle. This is advantageous insofar as a noise reduction is achievable for the person by phase-dependent superimpositioning, especially in the otherwise fully-automatically operated manufacturing system.

In one advantageous development, the vehicle is equipped with a daylight camera, an infrared camera, a microphone, and/or a multitude of microphones, in particular an acoustic camera or microphone array, for ascertaining the position of a person. This is advantageous insofar as it allows the use of simple ascertainment means.

Further advantages are derived from the dependent claims. The present invention is not restricted to the feature combination of the claims. Those skilled in the art will discover additional meaningful combination possibilities of claims and/or individual claim features and/or features of the specification and/or of the figures, that arise from the stated objective and/or the objective resulting from a comparison with the related art, in particular.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a manufacturing system according to the related art;

FIG. 2 shows a manufacturing system according to the present invention, including a rail-bound vehicle 4.

FIG. 3 shows another manufacturing system according to the present invention, which includes a vehicle 6 which is maneuverable on a maneuvering surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIG. 1, it is known to place machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) inside a cage, in particular a gitter box, in an effort to provide safety for person 1.

Among such machines are not only machine tools but robots as well.

When a door of cage 3, especially the gitter box, is opened, the corresponding machine situated inside cage 3 is switched off or put into another safe state. For example, the lowering of the speeds of machine axles or robot axles is known as a safe state.

In contrast to the related art, the system according to the present invention as illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3 dispenses with cages 3.

As a result, a person 1 is able to move freely through the system, approach the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) at will, and touch them, in particular.

To make it safe, the corresponding machine located within a safety zone around person 1 is switched off or put into another safe state. The lowering of the speeds of machine axles or robot axles, for example, is also known as a safe state.

Sensors, especially a daylight camera, infrared camera, microphone and/or a microphone array, are used for detecting person 1. Person 1 is detected by analyzing the signals generated by the sensors, in particular by an image recognition system.

Since the position of the sensors is known, the position of person 1 is ascertainable as well. Thus, the position is forwarded via a data transmission channel, so that the particular machines that drop below a minimum distance can then be put into the safe state.

In a first exemplary embodiment, the sensors are stationary and situated on the ceiling of the manufacturing plant or on a T-beam of the building, for instance, so that a large sensitive region of the sensors is able to be obtained.

In one further exemplary embodiment, the sensors are situated on a rail-bound vehicle 4, which is movable along a rail 2, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In one further exemplary embodiment, the sensors are situated on a vehicle 6, which is movable along a maneuvering surface, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

When non-stationary sensors are used, i.e., sensors situated on vehicle 6 or rail vehicle 4 according to FIG. 2 or 3, the vehicle (4, 6) is able to be brought as close to person 1 as possible while maintaining a minimum distance. This makes it possible to achieve very low interference susceptibility and/or error rates.

Because access to the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) is unrestricted, even unmanned transport systems, i.e., FTS, and/or AGV, i.e., an automated guided vehicle, can be moved toward the individual machine (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) from every direction. The paths are consequently less restricted than in the related art according to FIG. 1.

More effective logistical sequences within the manufacturing system can therefore be set up.

Objects are brought to each of the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) and objects are fetched again after processing by the individual machine (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5).

The vehicle (4, 6) is equipped with a control, which is connected to the sensors and/or their associated evaluation means. In addition, the control is developed as a bus node, as are the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) by way of their controls. An evaluation means also includes an image evaluation unit for detecting a person 1 or other movable objects.

Since the control of the vehicle has stored a list of the positions of the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) of the manufacturing system in its memory, the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) located in the safety zone are ascertained by the control, whereupon they receive, via the data transmission channel implemented as a data bus, a corresponding command which puts them into the safety-directed state.

As an alternative, only the position of person 1 is ascertained, and the controls of the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) then determine on their own whether they are located within the safety zone and must therefore be brought into the safety-directed state.

If person 1 continues to move, the vehicle (4, 6) follows person 1, so that the detection of the person remains essentially constant even if the movement continues. The detected position of the person is updated in a recurring manner, so that machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) situated in the updated safety zone are transferred into the safety-directed state, and the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) located outside the safety zone are released to assume their predefined working states.

The vehicle (4, 6) has a position detection system, which is realizable either with the aid of markings situated in the manufacturing system, or by a GPS system. Transmitters, whose position is known to the control of the vehicle (4, 6), are preferably disposed in the manufacturing system. The vehicle then ascertains its position with the aid of the signals received from the transmitters, using the phase relation of the transmitters, in particular. After the position of the vehicle (4, 6) has been determined, the control of the vehicle (4, 6) ascertains the position of person 1. This position of the person is either transmitted to the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) by way of the data transmission channel, or a safety zone around the position of person 1 is first determined and the command to assume the safety-directed state is then transmitted to the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) that are located inside this safety zone via the data transmission channel.

A reduction of all speeds of the machine axles is provided as the individual safety-directed state of one of the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5). Moreover, each machine (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) additionally has at least one sensor, which further reduces the speed of a machine axle that may pose a risk to person 1 after person 1 or parts thereof has/have been detected. In the case of machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) that are not stationary, such as further AGVs or FTSs, the speed is reduced when the safety zone is entered, and if a sensor of the non-stationary machine (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) detects person 1, a further reduction of the speed takes place. The speed is reduced to a value at which the brake travel is shorter than the minimum distance from person 1.

The data transmission via the data transmission channel may be carried out either directly from the vehicle to the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) or indirectly by way of a central control. This central control then specifies the speeds of the machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) or the vehicles that are not stationary.

In one development according to FIG. 2, i.e., which includes a rail-guided vehicle 4, rail 2 is preferably situated above the path provided for person 1.

In other words, the clearance between the vehicle (4, 6) and person 1 preferably is kept essentially constant.

In addition, the vehicle (4, 6) is equipped with a microphone array, i.e., a multitude of microphones, especially at least three microphones. An analysis of the received signals thus makes it possible to ascertain noise sources and their distance. Additionally, a loudspeaker, which is actuated as a function of the received signals, is situated on top of the vehicle (4, 6). The signal generated by the loudspeaker is ascertained in such a way that at the position of the ears of person 1, the superimpositioning of the noise that is emitted by the noise sources and reaches the ears of person 1 and the noise generated by the loudspeaker has the smallest amplitude possible. This makes it possible to achieve a suppression of noise sources for the person, especially of determinable noise sources, for which spectral subtraction is preferably used.

In one further exemplary embodiment according to the invention, the control is stationary, and the vehicle transmits only the ascertained positional data of the person. The stationary control then determines the safety zone and transmits the commands for the transition to the safety-directed state to the corresponding machines (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5).

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

-   1 person -   2 rail -   3 cage, in particular a gitter box -   4 rail vehicle -   6 vehicle -   M1 machine -   M2 machine -   M3 machine -   M4 machine -   M5 machine 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a plurality of machines; a data transmission channel in communication with the machines; a sensor; and a controller adapted to ascertain a position of a movable object relative to the machines based on signals generated by the sensor, to ascertain a safety zone area around the movable object based on the ascertained relative position of the movable object and positions of the machines, to ascertain a safety zone area around the movable object and the machines situated therein based on the ascertained relative position of the movable objected and the positions of the machines, and to place the machines located in the safety zone area into a safety-directed state.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the machines is arranged as a stationary machine.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to ascertain the safety zone area around the movable object based on the ascertained relative position of the movable object and a predetermined position of the stationary machine.
 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the machines is arranged as a movable machine.
 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to ascertain a position of the movable machine based on the signals generated by the sensor, and the controller is adapted to ascertain the safety zone area around the movable object based on the ascertained relative position of the movable object and the ascertained position of the movable machine.
 6. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the machines is arranged as a stationary machine and at least one of the machines is arranged as a movable machine.
 7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to ascertain a position of the movable machine based on the signals generated by the sensor, and the controller is adapted to ascertain the safety zone area around the movable object based on the ascertained relative position of the movable object, the ascertained position of the movable machine, and a predetermined position of the stationary machine.
 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged as a stationary sensor.
 9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the movable object includes a person.
 10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a movable vehicle.
 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes the sensor.
 12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of movable vehicles.
 13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the controller is adapted to sense a position of the vehicle and to ascertain the safety zone area around the movable object based on the sensed position of the vehicle.
 14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to ascertain a distance between the movable object and the machines and to ascertain an angle between a moving direction of the movable object and a connecting line between the movable object and the machines.
 15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes a position acquisition device adapted to sense a position of the vehicle.
 16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the position acquisition device includes a GPS system and/or a triangulation system.
 17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle is adapted to maintain a constant distance to the movable object and/or to maintain at least a minimum distance value to the movable object.
 18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes a daylight camera, an infrared camera, and/or a microphone adapted to ascertain a relative position between the vehicle and the movable object.
 19. The system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes a brake device, the vehicle adapted to reduce a vehicle speed so that a brake travel of the vehicle is shorter than a distance to the movable object.
 20. The system according to claim 1, wherein the safety-directed state includes a reduced-speed state and/or a stopped state. 